AP projects Sean Casten wins re-election over GOP challenger Keith Pekau
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The AP has projected U.S. Rep. Sean Casten has won re-election over Republican challenger Keith Pekau in the tight race for the 6th Congressional District.
Casten defeated fellow incumbent U.S. Rep. Marie Newman in the June primary, just weeks after the death of his 17-year-old daughter Gwen.
Casten first was elected to Congress in 2018, a year that saw a blue wave with Democrats capturing the House of Representatives off the heels of backlash against then-President Donald Trump.
He'll be fending off Pekau during a year that's expected to favor Republicans who many experts and political observers project to take back control of the House.
Republican candidates like Pekau have tried to hammer Democrats on historic inflation plaguing the U.S. economy over the last several months.
Casten defended his votes for large spending bills like the American Rescue Plan, an infrastructure law and a large health care and climate spending package over the past two years. He argued those bills put more money in workers' pockets while acknowledging to CBS 2 they likely contributed to rising costs.
"Given the choice between where the economy was in 2020, massive spiking unemployment, massively collapsing GDP, I would much rather be in the position we're in now," Casten said.
Democrats have been focused on painting their GOP opponents as extreme on abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned the nearly 50-year precedent set by the Roe v. Wade decision protecting the right to the procedure nationally.
Casten argued Pekau's support of the court's decision contradicted his stated support for exceptions in the event of rape, incest and when the mother's life is at risk. But Pekau reiterated his support for such exceptions and told CBS 2 he supports making other options like adoption easier.
"We have to find a way to make that more affordable and a better choice for people," he said, adding that he was adopted by his parents.
With less than two weeks before Election Day, Real Clear Politics rated the district as a "toss up," while the Cook Political Report rated it as a "likely Democrat" seat.
An analysis by the Daily Kos found that in 2020, President Joe Biden won the newly redrawn district by a 54% to 43% margin over Donald Trump.
From the south, the redrawn district includes Orland Park, Alsip, and Oak Lawn, and it goes as far west as parts of Wheaton up to Lombard and Elmhurst. The district used to extend north into McHenry and western Lake counties.
